Electrical protective device



March 25, 1947. A. B. ELLlcoCK ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed July 25, 1943 y jas-,.1

/Nvf/Yrae Ausf/P75. [2L/cock A TToe/vf y Patented Mar. 25, 1947 ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE DEVICE Albert B. Ellicock, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to James R. Kearney Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application July 23, 1943, Serial N0. 495,810

(Cl. 20G-118) 4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to electrical protective devices, and Imore specifically to an electrical protective device having an improved gap link associated therewith and adapted for use in protecting a series capacitor from excessive voltages, the predominant object of the lnvention being to provide a gap link which is of such improved construction and arrangement, and is capable of such use, that the protection afforded a capacitor by a protective device of which the improved gap link forms a part, is materially increased.

When a capacitor associated with an alternating current circuit is connected in series with other electrical apparatus so that the current through the capacitor varies because of changing load conditions, lille faults, etc., the voltage across the capacitor will vary proportionally, and any excessive current will be accompanied by an excessive voltage which may puncture or break down the dielectric of the capacitor unless some means is provided for protecting the capacitor from such excessive voltage. The protective device with which the improved gap link of the present invention is used affords such protection, in that on operation of said protective device, as a result of excess voltage across the capacitor, the capacitor is short-circuited. As will presently appear herein in greater detail, the protective device includes an arm which, when the protective device functions, is movable from its normal position to a capacitor short-circuiting position, and an important feature of the construction of the improved gap link of the present invention is that it includes means for maintainingthe shortcircuit across the capacitor while the movable arm of the protective device is moving from such normal position to such capacitor short-circuiting position so as to prevent excessive voltage being applied' to the capacitor even during the short time required for the movable arm of the protective device to complete such movement.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the im proved gap link of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical view showing the protective device with which the gap link is used and the wiring which connects said protective device to the circuit with which it is electrically associated.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View partly in section and partly in elevation showing the lower portion of the gap link as it appears as the movable arm of the protective device moves downwardly on operation of said protective device.

2 Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of -the invention, A designates a protective device generally which is adapted to protect a capacitor that is shown diagrammatically at B in Fig. 2. The protective device A comprises a suitable in.. sulator I supported by a grounded hanger 2 which provides for atachment of the protective device to a suitable support (not shown). The insulator I has fixedly mounted thereon at its upper end a terminal 3, said terminal having secured thereto a relatively rigid contact arm 4 which is provided at its outer end with a rearwardly bent gap link gripping portion 5. Also, xedly mounted on the insulator I is a second terminal 6 which has fixed thereto a movable contact arm 1 that is provided at its outer end with a rearwardly bent gap link gripping portion 8, said movable contact arm being formed from conductive, inherently resilient rod or wire material and being vprovided with an integral coiled portion 9 formed therein which tends to move the outer portion of the contact arm from the elevated position in which it is shown by full lines in Figu2 to the lowered position in which said contact arm is shown by dotted lines in that view.

Additionally, the insulator I has iixedly mounted thereon, at a point below the location of the terminal 8, a third terminal I0 which has xed thereto a contact arm Ii that is provided with a portion I2 with which the contact arm 'I moves into electrical engagement when said contact arm moves downwardly in response to force exerted by the coiled portion 9 of said contact arm. The gap link gripping portions `5 and 8 of the contact arms 4 and 1, respectively, and the portion I2 of the contact arm II, which receives in electrical contact therewith a portion of the movable contact arm 1 when said movable contact arm has moved to its lowered position, are preferably, though not necessarily, formed in accordance with the corresponding contact parts illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,272,370, granted on February 10. 1942.

The protective device A includes a gap link L which is provided with a tube I3 formed of suitable insulating material, the upper portion of said tube being internally screwthreaded and said internally screwthreaded tube portion receiving an externally screwthreaded electrode I4 that is provided with a downwardly projected extension I5 of reduced diameter which is disposed within the tube I 3, and an annular outwardly extended flange I6 at its upper end. A lower portion oi the tube I3 also is internally screwthreaded, as indicated at I1, and the portion of the tube located below said screwthreaded tube portion I1 is of slightly greater inner diameter than the upper portion of the tube and is provided with a smooth inner face (see Fig. 1). Screwed into the internally screwthreaded tube portion I1 is a second electrode I8 which is provided with an extension I9 of reduced diameter that extends upwardly within the tube I3 from the screwthreaded portion of the electrode, the lower face of the extension I of the electrode I4 and the upper face of the extension I9 of the electrode I8 being spaced apart to provide a gap G therebetween which is enclosed by the tube I3.

The lower portion of the electrode I8 is provided with a downwardly projected extension 20 of reduced diameter and this extension has formed therein an annular groove 2|. Also, the lower portion of the electrode IB has a cavity 22 formed therein which extends through the extension 20 and into the body portion of the electrode, and disposed within said cavity is a body 23 of lead solder, or other suitable material having a low fusing point, in which is embedded the upper end portion of a conductor 24 that extends downwardly out of the tube I3 and has fixed to its lower end an eye 25. Likewise, the upper terminal I4 has suitably fixed thereto a conductor 26 which extends upwardly from said electrode I4 and has an eye 21 fixed to its upper end portion. Fixed to the extension 20 of the lower electrode i8 and turned several times thereabout in the groove 2i thereof is the upper end portion of a flexible conductor 28. The flexible conductor 28 extends from the groove 2l of the electrode i8 around the lower portion of the extension 2O of said electrode and. is coiled about the conductor 24, the extreme lower end portion of said ilexible conductor 28 being soldered, or otherwise secured, electrically and mechanically to said conductor 2i.

When the protective device A is in condition for use the conductors 24 and 2B are engaged by the gripping portions 8 and 5 of the contact arms 1 and 4 so as to cause the outer portion of the contact arm 1 to be maintained in an elevated position in opposition to the force exerted bythe co-iled portion 9 of said contact arm which tends to move said outer portion of said contact arm downwardly. As shown diagrammatically in Fig, 2, the protective device is connected in parallel with the capacitor B, and the gap voltage of the gap link is above the maximum operating voltage of the capacitor, but below the maximum safe voltage of the capacitor. When the operating voltage across the capacitor rises to the break-down value of the gap G of the gap link, an arc forms between the extensions I5 and i9 of the electrodes I4 and I8 and effectively short-circuits the capacitor, the voltage across both the gap and the capacitor falling to a very low value as soon as the are is established whereby the arc protects the capacitor.

Ii the are were allowed to burn for any appreciable time, the electrodes would burn away and thus increase the gap spacing, and in an extreme case, the are would be extinguished and the immediately resulting rise in voltage would damage the capacitor. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the arc with a metallic short-circuit, and this is accomplished by allowing the heat of the arc, which is transmitted to the electrode I8, to

melt the body of solder 23 that secures the conductor 24 to said electrode Il. This melting oi' the body of solder 2l permits the conductor 24 to be pulled away from the electrode by the force exerted by the coiled portion or the movable contact arm 1, thus separating the gap link and allowing the movable contact arm 1 to move downwardly into electrical contact with the contact arm II so as to short-circuit the capacitor, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2.

It is important to note that the short-circuit of the capacitor must be maintained from the moment the arc is established across the gap G of the gap link L until the movable contact arm 1 of the protective device A has moved into electrical contact with the contact arm II, and this is accomplished by the ilexible conductor 28. It this ilexible conductor were not employed as a part of the gap link the current through the link would be interrupted immediately as the con.. ductor 24 would be separated from the electrode I8 and before the movable contact arm 1 of the protective device A made contact with the contact arm I I, and therefore the short-circuit across the capacitor would be removed i'or about l/so second, or two cycles of the sixty cycle current. Hence, the excessive voltage would be applied to the capacitor for that period of time with a consequent danger that the capacitor would be damaged. However, by employing the flexible conductor 28, the short-circuit across the capacitor is maintained while the movable contact arm 1 is moving from its normal upward position to its lowered capacitor short-circuiting position where it contacts with the contact arm II, the portion of said ilexible conductor 28 which is coiled about the conductor 24 merely unwinding therefrom during such downward movement o( the movable contact arm 1, and said movable contact arm 1 finally making contact with the contact arm II to establish a metallic short-circuit ior the-capacitor and also for the gap G of the gap link so as to extinguish the arc thereacross.

1. A unitary gap link comprising a tube formed of electrical insulating material, spaced electrodes supported by and located within said tube to provide a gap therein which is adapted to break down to effect ilow of current through the gap link only upon a predetermined voltage, fusible means associated with one of said electrodes which is fused by heat produced by passage of an electrical arc across the gap between said electrodes so as to cause separation of parts of said gap link, and a flexible conductor connected at its opposite ends to separable parts of said gap link, said flexible conductor being arranged in a contracted condition when said gap link is intact and being adapted to be drawn to a continuously extended condition upon separation of the separable parts of the gap link.

2. A unitary gap link comprising a tube formed of electrical insulating material, spaced electrodes supported by and located within said tube to provide a gap therein which is adapted to break down to eilect flow of current through the gap link only upon a predetermined voltage, fusible means associated with one of said electrodes which is fused by heat produced by passage of an electrical arc across the gap between said electrodes so as to cause sepearation of parts of said gap link, and a ilexible conductor connected at its opposite ends to separable parts of said gap link, said flexible conductor being coiled A about a separable part oi the gap link when said gap link is intact and being adapted to be un' wound and drawn to an extended condition upon separation of the separable parts of the gap link.

3. A gap link for a protective device which is adapted to protect a capacitor from excessive' voltages and which includes a pair of contact members one of which is movable from a normal` position to a position where it makes contact with a capacitor' short-circuiting contact, said gap link being adapted when intact for such contact engagement with the pair of contact members of a protective device with which it is functionally associated so as to maintain the movable contact member of the protective device in its normal position, and said gap link being adapted to separate on formation of an arc across the gap thereof and thereby release the movable contact member of the protective device for movement into contact with the capacitor short-circuiting contact, and means comprising a flexible conductor forming a part of said gap link which maintains the capacitor in a short-circuited condition during movement of the movable contact member of the protective device from its normal position to a position where it makes contact with the capacitor short-circuiting contact, said.

flexible conductor being normally arranged inv a contracted condition and being adapted to be drawn to a continuously extended condition during movement of the movable contact member of the protective device. y

4. A gap link for a protective device which is adapted to protect a capacitor from excessive voltages and which includes a pair of contact contact engagement with the pair of contact members one o1' which is movable from a normal podtion to a position where it makes contact with a capacitor short-circuiting contact, said gap link being adapted when intact for such members of a protective device with which it is functionally associated so as to maintain the movable contact member of the protective device in its normal position, and said gap link being adapted to separate on formation of an arc across the gap thereof and thereby release the movable contact member of the protective device for movement into contact Vwith the capacitor short-circuting contact, and means comprising a ilexible conductor forming a part of said gap link which maintains the capacitor in a short-circuited condition during movement of the movable contact member of the protective device from its normal position to a position where it makes contact with the capacitor short-circuiting contact, said exible conductor being normally coiled about a part of said gap link and .being adapted to unwind therefrom during movement of the movable contact member of the protective device.

ALBERT B. ELLICOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNI'I'ED STATES PATENTS Number Name f Date 2,307,598 Marbury Jan. 5, 1943 2,174,477 Pittman et al Sept. 26. 1939 2,305,436 McMorris Dec. 15, 1942 2,315,320 Earle Mar. 30, 1943 607,251 Lewis July 1,2, 1898 283,492 Kinsman Aug. 21, 1883 1,526,770 Brain Feb. `17, 1925 2,152,864 Boothe Apr. 4, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 394,962 British June 31'. 1933 

